II. Executive branch: president, vice-president and the cabinet

1. Read and translate the text:

The executive branch, which includes the President, the Vice-President and the Cabinet consisting of Secretaries of the executive departments, is responsible for administering and executing the laws.

T he President of the United States is elected every four years to a four-year term of office, with no more than two full terms allowed. The President is elected directly by the voters (through state electors). He must be a native-born citizen at least 35 years old and live in the U.S. for not less than 14 years. The President is the head of the state and the government, and the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. He makes foreign policy, approves or vetoes laws, appoints judges, advisors and ambassadors, he can pardon a person for a federal crime (give amnesty).

If the President dies, or resigns, or can’t work, the Vice-President becomes the President. So the qualifications for the Vice-President are the same as for the President.

Within the Executive Branch, there are 14 executive departments. These are: the Departments of State, Treasury, Defense, Justice, Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Labour, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Education, Energy, and Veteran Affairs. Each department is established by law and is responsible for a specific area. The heads of the executive departments are Cabinet members, they are appointed by the President. These appointments, however, must be approved by the Senate. All the Secretaries of the executive departments make up the Cabinet and are Presidential assistants and advisors.

Executive Departments	Activities
State	foreign policy; treaties
Treasury	tax collection; money
Defense	military advice; Army; Navy; Air Force
Justice	legal advice; immigration; naturalization service
Interior	national parks; American Indians
Agriculture	farming; food inspection
Commerce	business; trade
Labour	rights of workers; job training
Health and Human Services	health services; social security
Transportation	travel safety; road, air, train travel
Education	schools; financial aid
Energy	energy research; energy conservation
Veteran affairs	financial aid; VA hospitals

Vocabulary notes:

Secretary of State	государственный секретарь
Department of Defense	министерство обороны
Department of Treasury	министерство финансов
Department of Interior	министерство внутренних дел
Department of Justice	министерство юстиции
Department of Commerce	министерство торговли
Department of Labour	министерство труда
Department of Health and Human Services	министерство здравоохранения и социального обеспечения
Department of Housing and Urban Development	министерство жилищного строительства и городского развития
Department of Transportation	министерство транспорта
Department of Education	министерство образования
Department of Energy	министерство энергетики
Department of Veteran Affairs	совет по делам ветеранов

President Barack Obama	Vice President Joe Biden

1. Complete the scheme below according to the information given above and try to retell the text.